Rear-end signal for street-railway cars and the like.



A. W. OBRIEN.

REAR EN-D SIGNAL FOR sTREEr RAILWAY cAns AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l2, 1915- 1,201,336. Patented 0ct.17,1916.

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ARTHUR W'. OBRIEN, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

REAR-END SIGNAL FOR STREET-RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE.

To all wlw/1a t may concern.'

15e it known that I, ARTHUR W. OBRIEN, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain lnew and useful Improvements in Rear-End Signals for Street-Railway (lars and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in signals, and is particularly designed for use in connection with street cars and the likel operating on double tracks.

The object of the invention is to provide a signal at the rear of the car operated. by the motorman on stopping, to indicate to passengers crossing the tracks in the rear of the car the proximity of a car on the other track, which is hidden from their view by the car they have just left.

The device includes audible and visible signals.

Many accidents have occurred when passengers or others crossing a double track step around the rear of one car in front of a car approaching on the other track, which is hidden from their view until they are fairly in front of it, and it is with the idea of reducing the number of such accidents that the present invention is produced.

The device consists essentially of a visible signal or semaphore provided with a light for night use and with an automatically operating gong t0 give audible warning. The semaphore is normally concealed in the wall of the car, and when operated projects rearwardly from the car preferablv about eye level of a person standing on the street. Suitable connecting mechanism is provided between the semaphore and the front of the car, where it may be conveniently operated by the motorman.

In the drawings which illustrate the inventionz-Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a carpartly in section, showing the arrangement of the device under the floor. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified arrangement of the device in the eaves of the car. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing a modified arrangement of operating mechanism at the front of the car. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the circuit maker for gong and light.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the floor, 12 the front Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led April 12, 1915.

Patented Got. 17, 1916.

Serial No. 20,754.

platform, 13 the rear platform, and 14 the roof of a car, the platforms being wholly or partly inclosed by walls 15 having windows 16 or the like formed therein. A recess 17 is formed in the thickness of the wall 15 of the rear platform having a rearwardly directed opening. Within this recess a semaphore 18 is pivotally mounted and provided with a pinion 19 meshing with the rack 20, held against the pinion by any suitable means such as the roller 21. The rack passes downwardly through therecess and is attached to one end of a bell crank lever 22. A rod 23 is attached to the opposite arm of the bell crank lever-and extends forwardly to the front platform, where it is connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 24, the opposite arm of which is connected by a link 25 with one end of a lever 26, the

opposite end of which is pivotally mounted at 27 on the car. A pedal 28 of the plunger type is pivotally connected to the lever 26 intermediate its ends, and provided with an elevating spring 29. To prevent loss of motion by flexion of the rod 23, the same may be inclosed in a tube 30.

A circuit maker 31 is mounted on the semaphore, and is operated by a rod 32 pivoted eccentrically with respect to the semai phore. This circuit maker is adapted to close the circuit of an audible signal, such as a gong 33, and also the circuit of a visible night signal, such as a light 34 on the semaphore. The light and gong may be connected in any suitable way with the circuit maker, and with any suitable circuit of the car by wires indicated diagrammatically at 35. The circuit maker may be of any approved type or of the type shown in Fig. 4, in which a hollow body 36 of insulating material is provided containing parallel terminals 37 and a slidable circ-uit maker 38 mounted on the rod 32. In Fig. 2, the invention is shown arranged in the roof or extreme upper portion of the car side, instead of under the floor. In this form the bell crank levers 22 and 24 and the connecting rod 23 are raised to a suitable position, and the link 25 lengthened to extend from the lever 26 up through the wall of the front platform to the bell crank lever 24. The rack 20 extends upwardly from the pinion instead of downwardly, and the device operates in exactly the same manner.

The operation for either form is as follows If, on stopping of the car, the motorman finds a car standing or approaching on the other track, he presses down on the pedal 28, which operates the link and lever mechanism, and the rack and pinion mechanism to raise the semaphore to the rearwardly projecting position, shown in dotted lines. At the commencement of the semaphores movement, the circuit maker 38 makes the contact with the terminals 37, and completes the circuit of the bell 33 and lamp 34, so that in addition to the visible signal of the board by day and the lamp by night, there is an audible signal, Warning passengers about to move behind the car of the proximity of a car on the other track, which, however, they cannot see, because of the car which they have just left. It has been observed that the tendency is for passengers crossing the track behind the car from which they have just alighted, to pass as closely behind the car aspossible. It is therefore obvious that the semaphore will be more or less in the nature of a barrier, and being approximately at eye level or slightly below, can hardly fail but be seen, especially when supplemented by the audible signal. "While it has been stated that the semaphore is approximately at eye level, it may be found advisable to place the same some distance lower down, as the tendency is, especially in wet weather, for persons to look down;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is ln a rear end signal for cars, a pivotally mounted semaphore, an electrically operated visible and audible signal in connection therewith, a circuit maker for said signal carried by the semaphore, operating means for said circuit maker pivoted at one end to said car eccentrically to the semaphore, operating means for the semaphore extending from end to end of the car, and a protective casing inclosing said operating means between the ends of the car.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR w. oBRinN.

Witnesses:

C, W. TAYLOR, JOHN PATERsoN.

Copies of this patent may b'e Vobtained for ve cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

